Thanks to Wankhede, India plays a Test in front of a near full house after 3 years

Photo: BCCI Mumbai: The Wankhede Stadium came as breath of fresh air, breaking the trend of empty stands when it was almost packed to its capacity today as spectators continued to throng the venue to witness the fourth cricket Test between India and England here today. The Garware, Divecha, MCA, Sunil Gavaskar and Vijay Merchant pavilions were nearly filled, and so was the Sachin Tendulkar stand, which was mostly occupied by English fans on the fourth day. The seats were occupied despite local boy Ajinkya Rahane missing from the team due to an injury which he sustained during a practise session on the eve of the match. The city is hosting a Test after three years, the last being Tendulkar's 200th, which was also his farewell game, against the West Indies in 2013. A Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official told PTI that around 22,000 people were in attendance at the stadium today. The stadium witnessed similar crowds for matches involving India during the World T20, which was held earlier this year. "We anticipated this crowd as it was a Saturday. The first day of the match, a Thursday, saw some 15,000 people in attendance and Friday also saw a decent turnout. We are expecting a similar attendance tomorrow and if Virat Kohli keeps batting, it could be full," said the official